Basic Scientific Principles of Physiology

Question 1

What is acid-base balance?

Answer 1

The maintenance of pH within controlled limits, essential for good health.

See pH.

Question 2

What is an acid?

Answer 2

A chemical substance with a pH below 7.

Question 3

What is an alkali?

Answer 3

A chemical substance with a pH above 7.

Question 4

What is anatomy?

Answer 4

The study of the structures of the body.

Question 5

What is an anion?

Answer 5

An ion with a negative charge.

Question 6

What is an antibody?

Answer 6

Proteins that recognise and attach to specific infectious agents in the body.

Question 7

What is atomic number?

Answer 7

The number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.

Question 8

What are atoms?

Answer 8

The smallest unit of matter.

Question 9

What is a base?

Answer 9

An alkaline substance.

Question 10

What are bonds?

Answer 10

The joining together of various substances, particularly atoms and molecules.

See chemical bond, covalent bonds, ionic bonds, and polar bonds.

Question 11

What is a cation?

Answer 11

An ion with a positive charge.

Question 12

What is a chemical bond?

Answer 12

The ‘attractive’ force that holds atoms together.

Question 13

What is a chemical reaction?

Answer 13

A process in which chemical substances react together to produce a different chemical form, usually expressed by a chemical equation.

Question 14

What is a compound?

Answer 14

A substance that is made up of two or more elements chemically bonded together.

Question 15

What are covalent bonds?

Answer 15

Bonds between atoms formed by the sharing of electrons between the atoms.

Question 16

What is an electrolyte?

Answer 16

A substance that produces a solution that conducts electricity when placed in water.

Physiologically important electrolytes include sodium and potassium ions.

Question 17

What are electrons?

Answer 17

The parts of an atom that orbit the atomic nucleus and carry a negative electrical charge.

Question 18

What are elements?

Answer 18

A chemical substance that cannot be broken down into anything simpler by chemical means.

Question 19

What are enzymes?

Answer 19

Proteins produced by cells that increase the rate of biochemical reactions in the body.

Question 20

What is homeostasis?

Answer 20

The maintenance of a stable internal environment by the use of systems of detectors, control centres and effectors.

Question 21

What are inorganic substances?

Answer 21

Substances that do not contain long chains of carbon and hydrogen molecules (although they may contain carbon and hydrogen).

Question 22

What are ionic bonds?

Answer 22

Bonds that form between ions with opposite charges.

Question 23

What are ions?

Answer 23

Entities formed when atoms lose or gain electrons, thereby becoming positively or negatively charged.

Question 24

What is a mole?

Answer 24

The unit of measurement of the amount of a substance.

Question 25

What are molecules?

Answer 25

Electrically neutral group of two or more atoms bonded together.

Question 26

What is a neutral substance?

Answer 26

A chemical substance that is neither acidic nor alkaline.

Question 27

What is a neutron?

Answer 27

The parts of an atom that carry a neutral electrical charge (i.e. they have no electrical charge).

Question 28

What are organelles?

Answer 28

Structural and functional parts of a cell.

Question 29

What are organic substances?

Answer 29

Substances that contain carbon molecules (e.g. carbohydrates, lipids, proteins).

Question 30

What is pH?

Answer 30

A measure of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution.

Question 31

What is physiology?

Answer 31

The study of the way in which the body structures function.

Question 32

What are polar bonds?

Answer 32

Bonds that form between polar molecules, in which the increased negativity of one pole of a polar molecule is attracted to the increased positivity of the opposite pole of another molecule.

Question 33

What is a product in chemical reactions?

Answer 33

The new substance/s formed following a chemical reaction.

Question 34

What are protons?

Answer 34

Subatomic particles found in the atomic nucleus which carry a positive electrical charge.

Question 35

What is a reactant in chemical reactions?

Answer 35

The individual substances involved in a chemical reaction.

Question 36

What is a shell of an atom?

Answer 36

The name given to the orbits of electrons moving around the nucleus of an atom.

Question 37

What is valency?

Answer 37

The number of hydrogen atoms an element is able to combine with. This is the bond-forming power of an element, and depends on the number of electrons in its outermost shell.

Question 38

What are the characteristics of life? A) digestion, excretion, irritation; B) absorption, bleeding, circulation; C) excretion, perspiration, reproduction; D) respiration, growth, responsiveness

Answer 38

The correct answer is: D) respiration, growth, responsiveness.

Question 39

What are the four essential requirements for all organisms? A) respiration, digestion, excretion and circulation; B) oxygen, water, sunlight, food; C) food, low temperatures, carbon dioxide, oxygen; D) pressure, sight, water, food

Answer 39

The correct answer is: B) oxygen, water, sunlight, food.

Question 40

What charge do protons possess? A) a stable electrical charge; B) no electrical charge; C) a negative electrical charge; D) a positive electrical charge

Answer 40

The correct answer is: D) a positive electrical charge.

Question 41

An atom contains five electrons in its outermost shell. Which of the following is it most likely to do when it reacts?

Answer 41

(b) donate three electrons to another atom, becoming a negatively charged ion

Question 42

Which of the following is not a type of chemical bond?

Answer 42

(b) equatorial

Question 43

There are three classes of elements, namely:

Answer 43

(a) metals, non-metals, metalloids

Question 44

Which of the following is both an anion and a compound?

Answer 44

(a) NaCl

Question 45

Which of the following are organic substances?

Answer 45

(a) carbohydrates, proteins, lipids

Question 46

Which of these pH values is the least acidic?

Answer 46

(c) 11

Question 47

Homeostasis is:

Answer 47

(c) maintenance of a stable internal environment

Question 48

A molecule of water is a combination of these atoms:

Answer 48

(d) 1 x oxygen, 2 x hydrogen

Question 49

In biochemistry, a 'mole' is a unit of:

Answer 49

(d) amount of a substance

Question 50

The pH of a solution depends on:

Answer 50

(c) the number of hydrogen ions in the solution

Question 51

Which of the following is a complex carbohydrate?

Answer 51

(a) a polysaccharide

Question 52

What does an atomic number of 20 indicate about an atom?

Answer 52

c) It has 20 protons.

Question 53

True or False: An ion is an atom that is in an electrically neutral state.

Answer 53

False.

Question 54

True or False: Molecules are combinations of atoms.

Answer 54

True.

Question 55

True or False: Many electrolytes are essential minerals.

Answer 55

True.

Question 56

True or False: Organic substances contain carbon and hydrogen.

Answer 56

True.

Question 57

True or False: Lipids are examples of inorganic substances.

Answer 57

False.

Question 58

True or False: Proteins are built up from amino acids and provide the structural material for the body.

Answer 58

True.

Question 59

What is the importance of respiration for the body?

Answer 59

Respiration is essential for energy production.

Question 60

Why is water essential for all organisms, including humans?

Answer 60

Water is vital for biochemical reactions and maintaining homeostasis.

Question 61

How is the atomic number of an atom calculated?

Answer 61

The atomic number is the number of protons in the nucleus of an atom.

Question 62

What is an ion, and what is its importance for us?

Answer 62

An ion is an atom or molecule with a net electric charge. Ions are important for various physiological processes.

Question 63

List some common elements found in the body.

Answer 63

Common elements include carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, calcium, and phosphorus.

Question 64

Explain what is happening in the chemical equation: C6H12O6 + 6O2 + 6H2O + ATP (cellular energy).

Answer 64

This equation represents cellular respiration, where glucose and oxygen are converted into energy.

Question 65

Discuss the importance of the pH of blood.

Answer 65

The pH of blood is crucial for maintaining homeostasis and proper physiological function.

Question 66

Discuss the importance of carbohydrates to the body.

Answer 66

Carbohydrates are a primary source of energy for the body.